Compartmented spray devices, wherein certain spraying compartments are separated by a movable piston, are generally well known. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 1,030,119 to Overbeke.) Unfortunately, many of the sprayer devices of this sort often present certain problems in operation and, as a result, greater sophistication or complexity in design is often deemed warranted. Greater complexity in design, however, typically gives rise to greater complexity in operation. (See, in particular, U.S. Pat. No. 1,117,228, also to Overbeke; and see U.S. Pat. No. 1,241,551 to Preston et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 1,347,520 to Rasch; U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,936 to Abplanalp; U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,759 to Drapen et al.; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,406,406 and 4,545,535, both to Knapp.)
Also well known are prior-art fluid dispensing systems that are specifically designed to externally mix ingredients (which are to be dispensed). Many dispensing systems of this type, again unfortunately, are rather complex in design and/or operation, with the result being that the overall effectiveness or utility of each such dispensing system is generally uniquely encumbered by the complexity of its own design. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 1,347,520 to Rasch; U.S. Pat. No. 1,370,687 to Ferris; U.S. Pat. No. 1,590,430 to Erby; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,948,533 to Neely.) In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 1,948,533 to Neely discloses one such spraying device that is complex not only in design but also in operation as well.
While some prior-art piston-powered dispensing systems--such as that system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,708,600 to Froidevaux, which features external-mixing of ingredients--tout what seems to be a "simplicity-of-design" feature, many practical applications that utilize such a fluid dispensing system require inclusion of certain structural details (absent from the dispensing system disclosed by Froidevaux) which, if present, would render complex the overall dispensing system, in design and/or in operation.
In light of the sophisticated and demanding nature of many of today's consumers, simplicity-of-design, effectiveness of operation, and overall convenience to the user, are highly desirable features or aspects of any fluid-dispensing system.
While U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,059, mentioned above, discloses a fluid dispensing system which meets these criteria for the external mixing of fluid ingredients that are to be dispensed as a mixture by such a fluid dispensing system, there are times when it is desirable to mix the fluid ingredients internally. For example, one of the fluid ingredients may be so viscous that a desirable degree of fluid mixing can be achieved only by mixing or combining the fluid ingredients within the dispensing system, whereupon the thus-combined ingredients are dispensed, as a mixture, from the fluid dispensing system.
Fluid dispensing systems that are specifically designed to internally mix ingredients are similarly generally well known. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 368,259 to Warren; U.S. Pat. No. 716,910 to Lubbecke; U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,030,119 and 1,117,228, both to overbeke; U.S. Pat. No. 2,096,554 to Maehr; U.S. Pat. No. 2,620,234 to Schaich; U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,860 to Gallo; U.S. Pat. No. 3,192,950 to Weese et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,936 to Abplanalp; U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,759 to Drapen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,426 to Kuhlman; U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,068 to Rudolph; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,406,406 and 4,545,535, both to Knapp.)
Unfortunately, the presently commercially-available fluid dispensing systems that are specifically designed to internally mix ingredients (which are to be dispensed) are generally rather complex in design and/or operation.
The present invention provides today's consumers with a piston-powered fluid dispensing system, that is specifically designed to internally mix fluid ingredients which are to be dispensed, wherein such fluid dispensing system possesses the simplicity-of-design, effectiveness-of-operation, and overall-convenience-to-the-user features, as well as other features and advantages, deemed to be desirable by today's sophisticated consumers.